Catch My Fall
by darla101
Summary: Why did Wyatt turn? Exploring the reasons why, what happened to Piper and Leo, why Chris is close to his grandpa and why Chris came back. UPDATED 11May04
1. Chapter 1: Normalacy At Its Best

Spoilers: slight ones up till 'A Wrong Day's Journey Into Right'.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.  
  
- - -  
  
Chapter One: Normalacy At It's Best  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Chris turned around, looking his older brother in the eye. He was standing shoulder against the door, head leaning on the frame inquisitively. His mop of blonde hair fell to one side over blue eyes, flashing with a playful amusement and his mouth twisted into a one sided grin. At sixteen, Wyatt Mathew Halliwell was a force to be reckoned without a doubt.  
  
"Out."  
  
"No," the Whitelighter-Witch drawled, narrowing his eyes, "I thought you were putting your coat on to take a bath."  
  
Chris shook his head, and turned back to the mirror, combing his dark brown hair out. Sometimes the mannor just wasn't big enough for two teenage brothers, and at those times, it was usually best to just keep it simple, or a full blown fight can blow up. "I have a study date."  
  
Wyatt exchanged the door for sitting down on the bed, "With who?" he stated, with more than a hint of disbelief.  
  
He coinsidered lying, but didn't want to take the chance of empathy kicking in and him thinking he had something to hide. He simply stated "Bianca."  
  
"Bianca who?" A few moments passed as recognition passed his features, "Bianca, from school, Bianca?!"  
  
"Yeah," he said, putting his books in his school bag, "So?"  
  
"She's too old for you." Wyatt made a face, "Shes too old for me!"  
  
"I'm asking for essay help, Wyatt, not her hand in marriage." Chris rolled his eyes, picking up his bag, and calling down to his mother, "Mom, I'm going!"  
  
Wyatt lifted a hand on to his chest, "What time are you going to be out till?"  
  
Chris just looked at him, "Gee daddy, I promise it'll be before ten. I'd hate for you to ground me."  
  
"Don't tempt me," he said, a familiar smile flitting across his face. "Aunt Phoebe is downstairs. Maybe you can con a lift."  
  
Chris smiled pushing his hand away playfully, and picked up his bag downstairs. He entered the Halliwell kitchen, a well known habitat of one, Piper Halliwell. Tonight was no different. She and younger sister Phoebe were talking, coffee almost spilling as emphatic gestures were made. Chris just poked his head around, "Mom? Did you hear me?"  
  
"What?" Piper said, then blinked, "Oh, your study date!" Chris nodded, "Right, okay, I-" she was starting to look nervously at his Aunt.  
  
"Why don't I run him over?" Phoebe commented, smiling at her youngest nephew.  
  
"What's going on?" Chris asked, looking meaningfully at his mother.  
  
"Why does there have to be something going on?" Phoebe answered.  
  
"Whats going on is," Piper said calmly, "Your mother having a night in with her two sisters, uninterrupted by kids, husbands or crisises."  
  
"Alright," he said, "Then whats that?" He pinted to the boiling pot on the stove.  
  
"Chicken korma." Piper said flatly. "I need something to sustain me while I'm forced through Kill It Before It Dies again. And again." she turned to her sister, ascentuating the words, "And again."  
  
Phoebe hit playfully, "It's a good movie!"  
  
"Um, I don't mean interrupt sisterly bonding, but I said I'd be there by six thirty and it's past six."  
  
Piper grinned and reached over and kissed him on the forehead, "Back by ten, okay?"  
  
Chris groaned, playfully. It usually did the trick.  
  
"Eleven then. No arguements." She grinned, watching as her son and sister go, as she returned the cooking.  
  
---  
  
At half past six exactly, Chris walked into San Francisco Main Library. The rows upon rows of books caught his eye as he checked the tables for eighteen year old. He'd been surprised when she'd agreed to help, but was glad of it. Language Arts was not his best subject by a long shot, and a whole essay could well give him a heart attack. He spotted her and made his way over.  
  
"Bianca," he said, "Hi."  
  
She looked up and stood up, pulling her light blue Alice band a little further back. "You're here."  
  
"Kind of looks that way, doesn't it?" he grinned, "I really can't thank you enough for this."  
  
"Oh, well, you did show me where the interesting history stuff was." She gestured to the books he was putting down, "Besides, language isn't that hard, once you know a few little tricks."  
  
He smiled at her, and sat down to work.  
  
---  
  
It was past ten when Chris had realised the time. Thanking Bianca for her help, he went to call his mother on the phone and was slightly shocked not to get an answer. Figuring it was still too early for him to be expacted home, his mother was probably wanting an interuption free evening. She had so few of those, he decided just this once to orb back. He knew she didn't think it was the best thing for him to be doing, but still, it gave her a free evening. Maybe he could talk Aunt Paige into saying she orbed him.  
  
Orbing around the block, he could hear sirens in the background. Probably yet another demonic attack, somewhere near. He supposed that would be the end of his mothers free evening. Sighing, he rounded the corner into Prescott Street, looking to see what was going on. Walking up towards his own house, he was stopped by a uniformed officer.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked.  
  
"I live in this street," he stated.  
  
"Number?" he asked, all business.  
  
"1329," he said, "Why?"  
  
The guy nodded, then said more quietly, "Come with me please."  
  
---  
  
Reveiws are always welcome. First Charmed fic. Hope it's alright.  
  
Next chapter: Shattered 


	2. Chapter 2: Shattered

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Thank you to X3, Pheniox-skye, jZzRgRl13 and Anaxandra for their reviews. They aren't far wrong. Angsty stuff ahead. ------------  
  
Chapter 2: Shattered  
  
Chris simply looked at the officer, stomach turning slightly and not in a good way. What was going on? Maybe it was just Darryl that wanted him. After all, demon activity was the family specialty. Feeling slightly rationalised, he followed the officer to the perimeter of the garden. Upon seeing Darryl, he relaxed a little. Feeling more assured, he gave a little smile and called to him.  
  
Darryl turned, and a completely forced smile appeared. "Chris."  
  
The familiar bile feeling came back with a vengeance, and for a second time that night he asked, "What's going on?"  
  
The smile faltered, "I think you should sit down."  
  
"Why?"  
  
Darryl pointed to the wall on his neighbours garden and sat on it himself, "I need to ask a few questions, please."  
  
Chris did not like the look of what was going on at his own house, seeing ambulances he sat, "Did something happen? Did Mom get hurt? 'Cause I can call Wyatt and he can -"  
  
"Can I ask you where you and your brother were tonight first?" he said, interrupting him.  
  
"I was at the Library, I don't know where Wyatt went." he said, desperatly looking at the house. "Not my brothers keeper, you know?"  
  
"Well, what about your parents? Aunts?"  
  
"Umm, Dad's up there as usual as far as I know and Mom was having a night in watching movies with Aunt Phoebe and Aunt Paige." he faltered, seeing a stretcher being braught from his house, "Darryl, what happened?"  
  
Darryl stayed quiet for a moment, "I was hoping you could tell me."  
  
He just looked at him for a moment longer before getting off the wall, "Did something happen to Mom?" he whispered.  
  
"Is there any way you can do that summoning thing for your brother or your Father?"  
  
"Darryl!" he said, starting to get very irratated.  
  
"I just think it would be better if I explained it to both of you once, is all."  
  
Chris looked at him, then to the house, then called, "Dad! Wyatt!"  
  
On the third call, a flurry of white orbs despensed his brother in front of him, crossed arms and all. "What?!"  
  
Darryl cleared his throat, "No Leo?"  
  
Seeing the ambulance, Wyatt sprinted up the steps of the house without asking for an explanation. Chris looked to Darryl, then went after him.  
  
----  
  
The moment Wyatt walked into the manor, he regretted it. There were three sheet drapped bodies in the living room, and with a retch, he recognised his mothers wedding ring from under one of them. Freezing the room, and hoping to every god he could think of that he didn't blow anyone up in his panicked state. He pulled the sheet back and tried to heal her, ignoring the cold dead feeling grasping at his heart.  
  
"Oh, god, is she...?"  
  
Turning his brothers whispered utter from behind him, he stated with a hard, sure voice, "No, she just needs to be healed."  
  
Moments went by, and nothing happened. Why wasn't working? A back part of his mind told him the second he saw the sheet over her, he'd known nothing would. Still, he tried to heal her.  
  
Suddenly, the freeze wore of and Darryl ran in from the door, where he'd been frozen. Seeing Chris slid against the wall, holding his knees and Wyatt, sitting hands now on his lap, he froze without magic this time.  
  
"What are these kids doing in here, Inspector?" asked a junior officer.  
  
He pointed to Wyatt and Piper, "Her sons."  
  
She paled and nodded, reaching out for Wyatt, who batted her off, getting up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Chris asked him, quietly.  
  
"To get Dad," he said, walking out the door before orbing.  
  
"Come on," she said, pulling Chris to his feet, "Why don't we go and sit in the kitchen?"  
  
Chris just looked at his mother, blinking away the already shedding tears. "I should wait on Wyatt." he replied to the officer hoarsely.  
  
"You can wait in the kitchen," Darryl said, "I'll stay here."  
  
Chris just nodded numbly, and let himself be led to the kitchen. Everywhere he looked, there were things belonging to his Mother and Aunts. He shivered, suddenly nautious, and in need of air. But there were people out there and he was upset; what if his powers went nuts in front of them? It would be Aunt Prue all over again.  
  
So he decided just to wait, and hope Wyatt was okay.  
  
----  
  
The first word that came to Wyatt's mind upon orbing up to what his mother had dubbed 'Elder Land', his first thought was that it seemed in utter anarchy. People running here and there. Mostly, they gave him a look to say that he wasn't meant to be here. It took a few minutes for someone to voice it.  
  
"You are not supposed to be here."  
  
He turned to see another elder, a woman, a woman staring at him with squinted eyes.  
  
"I'm looking for my Dad." Wyatt said, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "Is he here?"  
  
"Your Father," she practically spat, "Is down there, in his infinate wisdom, doing a whitelighters job." The sarcasm came through loud and clear.  
  
"Why, what's going on?"  
  
"Chaos." she said simply, orbing away from him.  
  
For a moment, he considered going after her, but instead stood still, attempting to find his fathers presence that way. It only took him a moment, then he orbed down after him. He found his dad healing someone, who'd obviously been injured by a demon, judging from the sucking chest wound.  
  
He simply said a quiet, "Dad."  
  
Leo turned around, having healed the mortal - or perhaps the man was a whitelighter or witch? - and seen his son standing there. "Wyatt?" he asked in disbelief, 'What are you doing here?' conveyed in just that one uttering of his name.  
  
An unbidden tear few down the boys cheek, and collapsed into a hug from his father.  
  
"Mom's dead."  
  
---  
  
Next: Chapter 3: Weeping Angels Without Halo's. 


	3. Chapter 3: Weeping Angels Without Halo's

SpiritOfEowyn – Thank you. I realize it's taken me a while to write this part, but that was due to me losing the first draft of it and me wanting to get it right.  
  
ChRsTiNe17 – All three, as there are three bodies.  
  
X3 – I know, but it had to happen.  
  
Buffspike – thank you, ill try.  
  
Willows2 – thanks!  
  
Whiteriver – I can never read angst let alone write it usually but it had to be done, so tearfully I did it.  
  
Queen of the Elven City – thank you!  
  
Black Ice – Thank you. I always thought of what was there as dormant, just below the surface and a series of events push him over. It was a pleasure, yours was wonderfully written. I love them as lil kids.  
  
Taynna – Thank you, I was going for that. I always thought of them as disliking him for not being full whitelighter, like he didn't belong there. I agree, they need a name for Elder Land. On a side note, on chapter one I was referring to Wyatt and Bianca being at school together, because there would only be a two year age gap, and not Chris (I'm assuming she was four in Chris-Crossed.) If I told you about the chaos, I'd ruin my own plot suspense!  
  
---  
  
Chapter 3: Weeping Angels Without Halo's.  
  
3 Days Later  
  
"Wyatt."  
  
Victor Bennett pulled the eldest Halliwell child into an embrace. He pulled the sixteen year old away just long enough to see him blink away a tear or two. But as quickly as it came, it was gone and to hear him, you wouldn't know that three days ago the world had fallen apart.  
  
"Hi Grandpa," He opened the door fully and let his grandfather enter Halliwell Manor. The place had enough dark energy to last a lifetime, considering the hundreds of demons that had been slain here. But today was it was darker, more helpless feel. It might have had something to do with the half full sitting room being more or less in complete silence. He followed him through, pausing for a moment near the conservatory with a non to his son in laws.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
Wyatt gave a rueful snort, "Fabulous."  
  
Victor smiled slightly at that, "Stupid question." He sighed, "I suppose I meant to ask if you needed anything."  
  
"Apart from my Mom?" he retorted, immediately regretting it. "Might be nice if you could coax my little brother out of hiding."  
  
Victor looked at him, "He's gone?"  
  
"In his room." He said, shaking his head. "I give up trying to get him to come down. He can sit and stew, for all I care."  
  
Victor just cocked his head, "You don't mean that, Wyatt."  
  
Wyatt sighed, "No, I don't suppose I do."  
  
Victor hesitated, "Shouldn't your Father try?"  
  
"Yeah, that'd go over well." Wyatt, as the phone went, "Excuse me."  
  
---  
  
Gingerly, Victor knocked on the door that used to be Pipers as a child: until she had moved into the biggest room when she and Leo had gotten together. It was strange numbness that he looked back on that time now: all of his girls were gone. No parent should ever have to face the nightmare of their child's funeral, let alone having to attend three.  
  
"Go away."  
  
"I come all the way in from New York and all I get is a go away?" Victor called in.  
  
The door opened suddenly, and he's bombarded with a teenage hug. "Whoa!" he said, taking a step backwards.  
  
"Sorry," said the teen, giving a small smile. "I'm just glad you're here."  
  
The first thing he noticed was that he was still in a t-shirt and shorts with 'bed-head'. The red rimmed eyes were to be expected, but he supposed he'd at least expected him to be dressed.  
  
"Why aren't you dressed, Chris?" he asked, softly.  
  
The reply was barely audible, "Not going."  
  
"You aren't going?"  
  
He swallowed, "I-I can't..."  
  
"Chris," he said, cupping his chin slightly, "You've got forever to cry and be sad but only one chance to say goodbye to your Mother and your Aunts. You'll never have the chance again."  
  
A rogue tear slipped its way down, "I-I.."  
  
"I know you feel like you're on your own and no one feels as bad as you do right now, but there is at least one person downstairs that feels every bit as bad as you do."  
  
Chris sniffed, "Wyatt."  
  
His grandfather nodded, "And he's going to have to go through today too, wouldn't you both rather have the company?"  
  
Chris looked at him for a moment, before hugging him once more and heading into his room and locking the door.  
  
Victor just sighed, "Can't say I didn't try..."  
  
---  
  
The first thing Chris noticed was that everyone but Wyatt was already in the cars. He could sense his brother in the Parlour. Perhaps he was planning to orb in, but was that really the best idea? Trying in vain to put the tie on again, he gave up and walked down to the Parlour.  
  
To his surprise, instead of finding him fussing about the house or fixing his tie or shirt or whatever as he had the last few days, he was huddled up on the chair, sobbing quietly.  
  
Chris softly whispered, "I was wondering when you were going to crack."  
  
Wyatt looked up too fast, and lowered his feet on instinct. Their mother didn't like shoes on the furniture. "It rises," he quipped, trying to lighten the conversation and failing miserably.  
  
"Are you orbing?" he asked.  
  
Wyatt just nodded, "I wanted to make sure you didn't want to come but I got...side tracked." He trailed slightly, embarrassed.  
  
"Fix this," he said, "And I'll go."  
  
"Wow," he said, fixing it, "You're easy."  
  
"Never been called that before." He said, putting his hand on his brothers, and Wyatt replied, mid orb, "Not to your face anyway."  
  
---  
  
Next Chapter: Feel Like Letting Go 


	4. Chapter 4: Feels Like Letting Go

**A/N:** Have tissues ready, it's the funeral. Thank you to all of you for all your encouragement. It always helps and inspires. I know it took me a while, but I was writing Perfect Lie, a vignette set in the future of this fic. It ought to give people a feeling as to where I'm going with this. Thank you for being patient.  
  
**ChRsTiNe17** - Thank you. I like them to get along sometimes too.  
  
**Chub** – thank you. Even a little sadness is good sometimes.  
  
**Black Ice** – Thank you. I did want to do Wyatt a little differently, because I don't believe a child can be evil from birth.  
  
**Taynna** – Thank you again. I do seem him trying to make up for not being there before. I tried to parallel it with Piper and Phoebe after Prue died. But as for Leo? That's not coming out anytime soon. Sorry. Lol.  
  
**Willows2** – You and me both.  
  
**Chrisoreinted** – Thanks, and there it is.  
  
**Sbender333** – Wow, coming from you that's quite a compliment.   
  
**Aldrea7 **- Thank you so much. I will indeed.  
  
---  
  
**Chapter 4: Feels Like Letting Go**  
  
"Tragedy is always hard, especially when they are as young and in such a quantity as these. Beloved mothers and wives, Piper, Paige and Phoebe Halliwell were and will always live on in the hearts of those that knew them..."  
  
Prue tuned out the sound of the man preaching about women he hardly knew. She leaned a little more heavily on her Fathers arm and glanced to her right. Her Uncle sat next to her, blindly listening to the service. He was sitting next to her eldest cousin, and had one hand encased in his Fathers, who now and then would squeeze it.  
  
"...they will be sorely missed by those around them..."  
  
Glancing further down, the ten year old could see the middle cousin – or brother, depending on who you were – leaning on their Grandfather, silent tears trickling down his cheeks and too immersed in his own grief to even wipe them. She could understand that: She wanted to cry too. But she felt all cried out at the moment.  
  
She hadn't really spoken to her cousins these last few days; hadn't really spoken to anyone. A part of her wanted to climb between in her cousins and just scream. But another part was too numb to move.  
  
She didn't really know what to think. One minute her Mother was fussing about her hair and next poof! She's gone forever and never coming back.  
  
It just wasn't fair.  
  
All this, just because she protected people. Made people safe.  
  
All this because she was a witch.  
  
---  
  
It was almost dark and the funeral had been over for more than an hour.  
  
But still a solitary figure sat at the recently closed grave had been sitting there staring mindlessly for too long alone.  
  
At least, he thought he was.  
  
"Chris?" he didn't answer. He felt Wyatt puling much more gently than usually at his arm, "You can't stay here forever."  
  
"I can try." The words sound wrong somehow, tearful but hardened.  
  
He sat down beside him and simply said, "I can wait."  
  
Chris looked at him, "For forever?"  
  
"Forever is just a day." He said, trying to catch his attention. But all he got in return was a sad smile.  
  
"Your spouting clich's now?"  
  
"Tell me what I need to say." he asked.  
  
"There nothing you can say."  
  
Wyatt just nodded, and cuddled a little closer before orbing them both back into the manor, into their Mothers room.  
  
He turned for a moment, leaving Chris to cuddle himself in the covers. It was the only comforting place he could think of, but regretted it the moment the ache set in that she would never stay here again, even though everything felt like her.  
  
Turning back, Chris' breathing had become slow and regular. He was sleeping. Wyatt just got on top of the bed clothes and shut his eyes, going to place where the last three days hadn't happened and he still had his Mom.  
  
---  
  
The first thing Chris noticed was that he was cold.  
  
He could feel a duvet but it was a shiver that had woken him, like there was something missing. He opened his eyes and for just a moment he though he seen something in the door way, but upon the next blink, it was gone. He moved himself up, moving along the corridor. If there was something in the house, chances are, it's the attic and the book its going for.  
  
But all he seen was Wyatt on the floor with the Book of Shadows, flipping it and writing in a notebook. He looked up as Chris came in.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hey," he said sitting opposite the elder brother, "What are you doing?"  
  
"Checking to see who could have..." he trailed off, just lifting the paper titled 'Demons with Powers Greater than Power of Three:' and handing it to Chris.  
  
Chris just nodded, but before he had time to scan the names, white orbs filled the attic. His first instinct was that it was Aunt Paige. It was a bittersweet second before he realised that it couldn't possibly be.  
  
Instead, his Father formed in the attic, and just shot them a small smile, "Find anything?"  
  
Wyatt shook his head, "None that aren't dead already. So unless it can copy powers, I don't know."  
  
Chris spoke up, "Don't you have any idea at all?"  
  
"If I did, I'd tell you." He said a little sharply, then sighed and sat down. "You're Mother and her sisters were just the first."  
  
"So it's just random?" Wyatt interjected. "No pattern?"  
  
"Power." He said, bluntly. "They're going after the witches with most power."  
  
"Meaning we're probably on the hit list." Wyatt finished.  
  
Leo just nodded, "Pack just what you need and orb over to magic school. Mrs Winterbourne has kindly agreed to set up some rooms for you till the dangers over."  
  
"No."  
  
Shocked by the severity of the tone, Wyatt stared at his little brother. Leo just took the reasoning side of it, "Chris, listen-"  
  
"No, you listen, Leo." Chris was gaining confident with every word and didn't stop to notice the flinch when he's addressed his Father as Leo. "You can't just walk in here and tell us what to do because it doesn't work like that!"  
  
"Magic school is safe," Leo reasoned gently.  
  
"So just uproot my whole life because you suddenly realise you have a family?" he said, angrily. "I didn't want to go to magic school before and I won't now."  
  
"And that stubbornness will get both of you killed." He said, "Whoever they are, they know to come here. You can't just disappear from it, Chris, even if you're hurting."  
  
Wyatt just looked at him, unsure of what to do, feeling entirely helpless and hating it.  
  
Chris just looked past his Father, and said, "Maybe I can," before orbing out.  
  
---

Chapter Five - coming soon.


End file.
